Hines announces timeline for downtown skyscraper

The Houston office of Hines said it will begin pre-construction work on 609 Main, the 47-story tower the company has been planning downtown, during the first week of November.

Site preparation will include the demolition of an existing abandoned structure on the property located the southeast corner of Main and Texas, the company said in an announcement Thursday revealing the timeline for construction. Excavation and foundation work will occur in March, and the 1.05 million-square-foot tower will be completed 36 months later.

The building is being developed by the company’s Hines CalPERS Green development fund, a partnership that focuses exclusively on developing sustainable office buildings throughout the United States certifiable through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core & Shell program. The 609 Main project is pre-registered LEED, and is expected to attain Gold or Platinum certification upon completion, Hines said.

This will be the company’s second recent project downtown following BG Group Place, which was recently sold to Invesco.

“We saw the trend coming several years ago when we purchased two key blocks of land on Main Street, and now our strategy has been confirmed with the start of this iconic new landmark,” president Jeff Hines said in the announcement.

There has been significant leasing interest in the building “among all the sectors that fuel CBD development,” Hines senior managing director John Mooz said. “This project will be a true ‘next-generation’ office building, utilizing best practices we’ve learned from our previous developments in Houston and around the world. While 609 Main at Texas is designed to house multiple firms, there is obviously a significant and prestigious opportunity for an anchor tenant, including options for large trading floors and outdoor space.”

The company described the Pickard Chilton design:

609 Main at Texas’ north and south facades will extend skyward, culminating in a dramatic diagonal crown, creating a new, highly visible Downtown landmark. The narrower east and west facades will be slightly recessed, and the subtly faceted exterior façade will be clad in floor-to-ceiling glass with brushed-stainless-steel accents. Vertical blades will be incorporated in the east and west facades, enhancing the tower’s silhouette and offering solar shading. Computer-controlled LED illumination within the east and west recesses, and the tower’s sloped crown will accentuate 609 Main’s presence on the nighttime skyline.

Amenities will include a “hotel-style” lobby with a café and spaces for networking; a 7,000-square-foot fitness center; an 8,000-square-foot conference center; full-height windows; an underfloor HVAC system; and private roof gardens in select tenant spaces. Floor plates will comprise 27,500 square feet, and parking for 1,500 cars will be provided in an internal 13-level garage.